31 Jan 2004

Download the new Cerysmatic Factory Desktop Wallpapers to decorate your computer screen. The initial selection features such delights as The Twelve Inches of New Order. Send in your requests to Cerysmatic Factory.

After they were signed 'Wasted' was their debut Factory Too single. Joe Magee took up design duties before he handed the baton over to the one and only skateboarding designer Ed Templeton. Check out the updated Hopper discography.

Light at the end of the tunnelTunnelvision reformed in April 2003 after a 22 year break. The band's Tony Ashworth takes up the story: "When the Haçienda was demolished Pete Hook retrieved a demo tape (which he had remixed) for our second single and after listening to it this got everyone talking about writing and rehearsing again. We have written a set of completely new material and hope to play live in the near future". Also check out the new Tunnelvision website and hopefully more news on those dates will be available soon.

Covered The sleeve image (admittedly not a big one) for the previously mentioned cd re-release of The Graveyard and the Ballroom is available at the Fusion Records website. It appears to be based on the sleeve for Facus 4 Do The Du (casse) whereas Early featured elements of Flight. The album has previously been out on cd via Creation Records but it's hard to come by these days.

28 Jan 2004

Risen from the grave The Esprit website and the The Soul Jazz Records website are carrying varying degrees of information about the forthcoming cd reissue of A Certain Ratio's classic studio/live album 'The Graveyard and The Ballroom' which was previously issued on Factory cassette.

27 Jan 2004

Thank you Full review to come of the Durutti Column show in Porto but time for now for some pics and to say a big, big thank you to Luis and family for getting our tickets in the first place and for all their hospitality whilst we were out there and of course to the band for taking the time to chat after the show.

26 Jan 2004

Friends in Portugal The Durutti Column played to an enthusiastic crowd at the splendid Teatro Rivoli on Saturday night in Portugal. Our front row seats afforded us a great view of the three-piece (Vini Reilly, Keir Stewart, Bruce Mitchell) band on a large stage. Full report to come soon.

22 Jan 2004

The launch party for The Peter Saville Show was held at Urbis on Wednesday 21 January and was attended by a galaxy of stars including Peter Saville, Bernard Sumner, Mike Pickering, Rowetta, Bez, Tony Wilson and Peter Hook. Check out the photos on Rowetta's Noticeboard.

20 Jan 2004

The British New Wave was born at a boys' school near Manchester according to an excellent Rick Poynor article which appears in Eye 49 (Autumn 2003). Peter Saville, Malcolm Garrett and, er, Keith Breeden all attended the same A level art class at Ambrose College, Cheshire, UK. Thanks to Steven for article-spotting. It's open season on Saville articles again...

17 Jan 2004

At Home is a landmark new project created by Peter Saville for the city of Manchester which will be displayed on eight billboards throughout the city. [from the Urbis website].

"At Home will be a collection of eight different images and objects chosen by Peter Saville from his estate, objects which inspired him as he was growing up and studying and working in his home city of Manchester.

"At Home turns Manchester itself into a gallery, giving everyone in the city a chance to be part of the exhibition.

"At Home is a biographical collection of my inspiration and influence – the objects which were fundamental to me during my time in Manchester and influenced my work." Peter Saville"

At Home is on from 22 March to 18 April 2004 on billboards throughout Manchester.

A whole raft of supporting events is scheduled to coincide with the Peter Saville Show's stint at Urbis in Manchester from 23 January and to 18 April 2004...

Made In Manchester - a series of design masterclasses with Trevor Johnson (Via Communications, ex-Johnson/Panas) and David Crow (Head of School of Design, Manchester Metropolitan University).

Creative City (Thursday 11 March 2004, 10am - 5pm) is for those looking for a career in the creative industries.

An Evening With Peter Saville (7.30-9pm, Wednesday/Thursday 24/25 March 2004) is a kind of reprise of the The Peter Saville Talkon 2 Sept 2003 from the London show: "On two exclusive dates you will have a chance to hear what inspires and motivates a design legend, as Saville discusses his work with Factory records to the state of graphic design today. The evening will be an informal discussion, based on conversation and questions from the audience. Tickets priced £10 and concessions £7.50

All this and a free showing of 24 Hour Party People with an introductory Q&A session with Tony Wilson. Tuesday 16 March 7pm. Free.

Booking is essential for all event. Call the Urbis Box Office to book on 0161 907 9099

16 Jan 2004

Legend has it that although Spanish has no cedilla (unlike French), Rob Gretton wanted the title of his new baby to have one so that when the ç and the i nestled up close to one another, they spelt '51'.

15 Jan 2004

If so, you may already have heard about Over-Rated, the "brainchild of three thirtysomethings, Anthony Teasdale, Anthony Hill and Sean Bidder who mis-spent much of 2003 reviving club nights for, as they put it, "Johnny-come-latelys and media wankers"."

If not (and maybe if yes), check out the February edition of Word magazine. Apparently for their recreation of the Hac they replicated the famed Ben Kelly-designed interior using yellow paper and black masking tape.

Over-Rated has also recreated Shoom, Shelley's and The Paradise Garage.

13 Jan 2004

The Domo Arigato video by The Durutti Column (originally released as Fact 144) is now available on VHS video from those nice people at Screen Edge, who have acquired the Ikon catalogue.

Andrew James takes up the story: "Until recently, they had been missing covers for said item, but thanks to the generosity of John "Cerysmatic" Cooper [that's me, Ed.], who kindly loaned his original cover to Screen Edge for scanning, the video is once again available for the very reasonable price of 12.99 GBP for VHS (plus postage).

Not quite an Ikon original, but the next best thing for idiots like me who passed it up first time around, and no silly EBay prices. See www.outlaw23.com for more info and addresses etc."

11 Jan 2004

In the long great tradition of artists moonlighting under alter egos the spotlight falls on Streetlife who were the 'Dutch electro pop pioneers' Minny Pops' side project during 1984/85. For your further edification read James Nice's excellent biography of Minny Pops / Streetlife. They thus joined other the ranks of other bands such as Ad Infinitum (Stockholm Monsters having a break), Red Turns To (New Order's Peter Hook) and Indambinigi (Karl Denver and Graeme Park) who rose mysteriously to take their place in the Factory catalogue.

10 Jan 2004

According to his official website, Wim Mertens has just released a new album entitled Skopos (a Greek word which means, 'reach', 'range', 'hitting the target', or 'a musical line that is followed by the melody') and has a February 2004 tour of Belgium on the blocks.

Full details of the Première Belgian Tour Skopos by the Wim Mertens Ensemble:Thursday/Friday 12/13 February - Stadsschouwburg, LeuvenSunday 16 May - Stadsschouwburg, Kortrijk

9 Jan 2004

LTM have some spare cd booklets for three Section 25 titles available for the nominal sum of 1.00 GBP each (plus s&h / p&p 1.00 GBP UK / 1.50 GBP elsewhere or free if ordering a cd or two as well). The titles are: Always Now, From The Hip (both replete with original Peter Saville designed artwork) and The Key of Dreams.

You may have lost the originals or just want to hang something nice on the wall in a frame.

8 Jan 2004

The reality show we've all been waiting for is to be screened in February 2004. This from BBC Three's February 2004 Highlights: "In Shaun Ryder Comes Clean, film-maker Richard Macer spends eight months with Shaun as he attempts to piece his life back together. Shaun Ryder - singer, songwriter and front man of The Happy Mondays and Black Grape - hit rock bottom Down Under a year ago; his assets frozen, locked in litigation, continuing drug problems - his family in Australia feared for his life.

The film-maker Richard Macer (The Real Swiss Toni, Jordan - The Truth About Me) spends eight months with Shaun as he pieces his life back together. Out of rehab he has attempted to adopt a healthy lifestyle and wrestles with the demands of fatherhood. But he's still on the brink of bankruptcy following a protracted legal battle with his former manager. Meanwhile he relocates to Australia to promote his new album and rejoin his family who have helped him through his darkest days. It's a candid and sometimes blunt insight into his life with some telling footage about the relationship with his family."

Finally managed to sort out getting tickets for the forthcoming Durutti Column gig at Porto's Teatro Rivoli, Portugal today (thanks Luis!) having earlier booked the travelling side of things. Tickets seem to be selling well so let's hope for a full house.

5 Jan 2004

Live At The Venue by The Durutti Column is reissued as a single cd in a limited edition of 1000 copies, will be officially released on 26 January 2004 having been first sold at the recent Manchester Academy gig. However, if you order the album now, direct from Kooky, your order will be despatched immediately. It's competitively priced at 11.00 GBP (UK), 11.50 GBP (Europe) and 13.00 GBP (Rest of the World) so get ordering.

This is the first in a series of reissues of old material by the band. More details are available on the news page of the official Durutti Column website.

Tickets for both the forthcoming Portugese Durutti Column dates are now on sale at www.ticketline.pt. In a (very) rough translation of the text on the website here is how they are billing the concerts: "One of biggest legends of the pop-rock of Manchester is returning. Vini Reilly's The Durutti Column, goes to the Santiago Alquimista, in Lisbon on 23 January, and to the the Rivoli Theatre, in Oporto on 24 January. This will be a chance to see and to hear the band interpret some its material from the Eighties, as well as its more recent album 'Someone Else's Party'."

3 Jan 2004

LTM are ringing in the New Year in style with two new releases: LTMCD 2381 Miranda Dali by Thick Pigeon and LTMCD 2364 So Hot by Swamp Children (formerly available as Fact 70). The latter comes with all new groovy artwork and includes extra tracks taken from the Fac 49 'Little Voices' 12" single. These releases are not yet in the shops yet, but are available from LTM direct (where Visa payments are now accepted).

1 Jan 2004

The official Santiago Alquimista website is now listing the 23 January 2004 gig in Lisbon by the Durutti Column. This event is described as "Concerto Internacional".

Also, the Portugese ticketing website www.ticketline.pt, now has a listing for the Lisbon and Oporto gigs. You can also buy tickets for Lisbon (but, strangely, not Oporto) priced 18 Euros (not 15 as previously announced). Portugese speakers are also treated to a brief description of the band/event.

... to everyone from Cerysmatic Factory. To celebrate (and shake off those hangovers from last night) why not peruse the new, updated Durutti Column pages including separate Discography, Live and Interviews sections. Also check out the video capture stills of the legendary unreleased 'Structure Moderne' video showing the three-piece Durutti Column in rehearsal at an empty Haçenda.

In the grey days of late 1970s post-punk Manchester, youth culture was a serious affair: every musical performance was measured mostly by the conviction of its delivery. The term 'New Wave' opened up free vistas where acquired skills could once again be exercised after punk's monochrome blur. It could be applied to anything from a James 'Blood' Ulmer record to the latest Throbbing Gristle release, Magazine to Swell Maps. Move outside that terrain into Sun Ra, Parliament, Frank Sinatra and Martin Denny, and your options were suddenly without limit...

Then came Tony Wilson's Factory Club (at the Russell Club in Hulme) offering an open invitation to experiment that was taken up when Ken Hollings, Howard Walmsley, Eddie Sherwood and a few others decided to make some noise to accompany their 16mm silent epic Biting Tongues. A further performance followed a few weeks later, when Colin Seddon and Graham Massey disbanded their Post Natals project and joined up. The film itself, a flashing series of negative images, became a memory; the name remained.